MARIE CLAIRE: LARA IS ALL ABOUT THE BASE

marie claire sat down with the Cronulla-raised star to talk about her new self-tanning line, her love of summer, and why her boyfriend hates Instagram.

Is there a woman in the world better suited to starting a tanning line than Lara Bingle? She’s the happy-go-lucky, sun-seeking Cronulla model who is more comfortable on the beach than she is on the runway.

“My mum was that beach girl, I’m that beach girl,” Bingle says. “That carefree Australian attitude has always been a real inspiration to me. I love the beach, I spend a lot of time there.”

Bingle is in town for a fleeting visit to launch The Base, her new line of self tanning and bronzing products. The range features everything from wash-off bronzing gel to shimmering skin illuminators and, Bingle’s favourite, a sheer coverage LB cream. “It’s just like a BB cream, only for LB,” she jokes. Nestled in an armchair in a beautifully renovated terrace in Sydney’s Paddington, there’s no doubt about it: Bingle is glowing. “A glow is good,” she says, smiling. “A tan always looks good, but a glow makes you feel good.”

MC: Where did the idea for The Base come from?
LB: Being around makeup and hair and photoshoots all my life, I wanted to create products that were illuminating as well as tanning. I wanted to make something of my own that looked luxurious, but at a small price. The most expensive product in the line is $39 and the cheapest, the tanning mitt, is $12.

MC: Why did you want to have a tanning line as opposed to a makeup line?
LB: I don’t like heaps of makeup, and I think less is more. I think with young girls in particular, they don’t know that you don’t need to wear a lot of makeup to look good. You just need a good base that makes you feel good that you can add to if you want to. Honestly, I wouldn’t even know where to start with cosmetics.

MC: Skin cancer is a big problem facing Australians. Is that one of the reasons you wanted to encourage fake tanning products?
LB: When I was younger my mum used to wear baby oil in the sun. I grew up thinking that was the way, and it’s not. I’m 27 now and your skin changes when you get older. You want to look after yourself. That’s why I think not baking yourself in the sun to look good is so important. You can do it other ways, and safe ways.

MC: If you were stranded on a tropical island, what would be the three things you would take with you?
LB: A really thick book, so it would last me a long time. Sunscreen. And a big shawl or a blanket. I’m always cold, I feel the cold really badly. I need to be warm!

MC: What are some of your favourite fashion brands?
LB: I love Dion Lee. I think his construction is ten out of ten. Another favourite is Celine. I always wear Celine because it’s minimal, but I go broke because it’s so expensive! But if I could wear one brand, it would probably be Celine. I like that it doesn’t have a lot of branding, it’s very easy to wear.

MC: Is social media important to you?
LB: I don’t take it too seriously. But I do think there’s no mystery anymore. Everyone knows everything from social media. Sometimes it’s nice not to know things and not to give everything away.

MC: Would you ever get off social media?
LB: Probably (laughs). My boyfriend isn’t a fan of social media. When we first met, he had no idea what it was and he wanted to get on Instagram because I was on it so much. He was always like, “what do you do on this thing?” But now he’s off it. Completely off it. He says to me, “I don’t understand Lara, who are you talking to, who are these people?” Maybe I’ll get off social media one day, but maybe I won’t. Who knows?